Huntsville gazette., 1887-01-15
JOHNS DEAD.


John Roach the Noted American Ship
Builder.
New YORK, Jan. 10.-John Roach, the
famous ship-builder, died at eight o'clock
this morning. He had been i'll for several
weeks, suffering from cancer OF the
throat His affliction was similar to that
of the late General Grant. The cancerous
growth which caused Mr.. Roach's death
had eaten it's way into the side Of the neck
below the angle of the jaw, inolving the
large arteries. For the past few days Mr..
Roach suffered great pain, and to relieve
HIM large doses of morphine were injected,
and he was unconscious most of the time.
Mr. Roach was born in Mitchelltown.
County Cork. Ireland. His father was
blacksmith, but very poor. He came to
this country when only thirteen years Of
age, his passage having been paid by an
uncle who resided here. Before young
Roch arrived his uncle had migrated to
Texas, and young Roach found himself
penniless and stranger in strange
land. For days he walked the streets in
search of work, and when night came he
slept wherever he could, under sheds, in
wagons and areas He finally set out for
one of the brick-yards up the State in hopes
of getting employment. He walked all
the way to Troy, living on charity by the
way and was rewarded by obtaining
work in one of the brick-yards near the
city. The work he had to do was wheel
ing heavy barrels of clay on a wheel-bar
row. For this he was poorly paid, but
stuck to his work, and six years after be-
came foreman Of the brick-yard Shortly
after he left the briclkyard and obtained
employment in one of the iron
this trade there he returned
to this city, finding work in Howelps
foundry in Jersey City. In three years he
saved 81, 800, but this was lost by the fail
ure of his employer. He then opened
little shop on the East river front and Sc
cured odd jobs in repairing ship engines
and furnaces. He gradually enlarged his
business, extending his shop down in the
region of the big ships arriving from all
parts of the globe, and his future seemed
bright. Shortly after his shop was burned
out, and, having no insurance, he was again
left penniless. He then took a turn at
farming in Illinois, and succeeded in
boarding 81 800, which he invested in lands
in that State. firing of farming, he re-
turned to New York, and established
small factory, which grew steadily In
magnitude until it became known as the
Etna Iron works, where the largest en-
gines constructed in the United States up
to that time wer3 built. 'i''
During the war he made boilers for fac
tories and ships, and gradually accumu-
lated fortune. He built the first com
pound engines in this country for Tren
ton.
In 1867 he purchased the Morgan Iron
works. Next he purchased the Neptune
works, the Franklin forge and large
property at Chester. Pa, where he estab-
lished in 1870 the extensive works known
as the Delaware River Iron Ship-Building
and Engine works, corporation of which
Mr.. Roach was president. 1t was capi-
talized at $3.50, ,000 The panic of 1873 found
him owing 800, 900, but his resources were
equal to the occasion.
In 1875 rumors of his failure were eXten-
sively circulated, but they were set at rest
by his publishing a statement that he was
worth from S1,500,000 to S2,000,000 over all
his liabilities. In 1884 he stated that he
was worth upward of 100000.
At several times he was interestc / in
various lines of steamships, including the
Mallory and Wards Havana lines He be-
gan building iron ships in 1871, and built
ia vessels, mostly at Chester, Pa, repre-
senting value of more than $50,000,000
In the spring of 1888, he purchased ma
terials for the new cruisers Of the navy, for
which he obtained contracts. He built six
iron turreted monitors out of nineteen
constructed by the Government within
about twelve years At one time his for
tune was estimated at S., 100000 Strictly
speaking his recent suspension was hard
ly failure His assets nearly doubled
his liabilities He claimed that his credit
was 50 much injured by the rejection of
the Dolphin that he was compelled to sus-
pend He employed altogether z, 400 men
at his various works and paid $50, 600 a
week in wages.
The big boat Pilgrim, of the Fall River
line, is one Of the jobs Roach turned out in
latter years.
He was a staunch Republican, and
worked industriously for his party. His
assignment in July, 1885, after the refusal
of the Dolphin by the Government, nearly
broke his heart. His tears blotted the as
signment paper as he signed his name and
hurried away to his home.
Around his bedside were the widow and
her children, John B. Roach and his wife,
Stephen W. Roach, the youngest, Mrs.
VIM. Mcpherson, of Philadelphia, the eld-
est daughter, and Miss Emeline Roach,
Mrs. John Walton, nephew of Mr.. Roach,
and Dr. Taylor and Rev. Mr.. Goose. The
servants stood in a little group in the
doorway watching their old master pass
away.
Mr. Roach had been unable to articulate
for several days, and when he wished any
thing he wrote on piece of paper. Early
yesterday the opiates lost their effect. he
could not sleep and moved uneasily until
he lost consciousness
He did not recover consciousness, and
his death was apparently painless, being
directly due to exhaustion. Mr.. Roach
spoke his last words to DR.. Belden last
night. He motioned that he wished to
spea K. and Dr. Belden bent over him:
'sHow long. How long before" he
whispered.
at is almost over" replied the physi-
cian. ''Are you glad that your sufferings
will end soons''
eyes, oh so glad" answered the dying
man.
The members of the family say that the
cancer was confined to the roof of his
mouth and the nostrils, and that all the
reports to the effect that the can
cerous growth extended down the